Wondering what to offer on Skillshare? Read more about topics that our members most frequently search for to inform your future classes, 1-on-1s, and digital products.
In this article:
- Complete List of Categories on Skillshare lists the top level subcategories (what we call content areas) that we actively source content for. Check to see if your content fits into our current list.
- Content that focuses or touches on restricted topics may be removed by our Moderation team. Our guidelines for what content we prohibit varies by offering:
How to Use This Data
New and existing teachers frequently reach out to us and ask what they should offer on Skillshare. We’ve put together a list of some in-demand and frequently searched-for topics on Skillshare, broken down by our top categories.
There are two ways you can use this list:
- Pair this information about in-demand topics with the Choose Your Class Topic article. Start by identifying what you’re passionate about teaching, and then review this list to see which keywords or topic areas can further refine that and point you in a specific direction.
- Plan Your Class first, and then return to this list to pull out relevant keywords. Include these in your class title, class description, and class skills tags to help your class get discovered by students.
You can adapt these same strategies for planning a 1-on-1 Session or creating a digital product for Skillshare.
Where applicable, we’ve also included Areas of Opportunity on this page: specific topics that we want to grow in our catalog and have current content gaps in. We are actively sourcing for these!
Overall Search Insights
The main trend in Q2 (April 1 to June 30, 2024) has been a continuation of what we’ve been seeing: rising demand for ways to find success and make money as a creative professional.
- Our top 10 search terms on Skillshare remain Blender, Procreate, drawing, graphic design, illustration, watercolor, photography, animation, Figma, and After Effects.
- A few terms around art and illustration tools and techniques in the creative hobbyist space, such as watercolor pencils, inking, collage art, and color mixing, started rising last quarter. We see a potential opportunity for digital products in these areas!
- Free and inexpensive editing and content creation tools, such as CapCut and Affinity Designer, continue to grow.
- Interest in platforms related to monetizing as a creator, such as Substack and Patreon, continued to grow. Etsy dropped slightly, but remains high in demand.
In-Demand Topics List
Last updated: August 13, 2024
This data represents the top search terms in English on Skillshare by our member community for the period April 1 to June 30, 2024, organized alphabetically within each subcategory, with areas of opportunity where applicable.
Creative Career
Top Search Terms: branding, Etsy, Fiverr, Instagram, LinkedIn, newsletter, Patreon, Pinterest, podcasting, Reels, Shopify, Shorts, social media, Substack, TikTok.
Areas of Opportunity:
- More high-quality content on TikTok will help keep up with demand for this topic in search.
Creativity & Inspiration
Top Search Terms: portfolio, portfolio development, journaling.
Design
Top Search Terms: Adobe Express, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, Affinity Designer, branding, Canva, Figma, Flutter, graphic design, interior design, logo design, surface pattern design, typography, Unity, web design.
Areas of Opportunity:
- Advanced-level classes on Canva — niche topics welcome!
- Intermediate- and advanced-level classes in Figma and Adobe XD.
Art & Illustration
Top Search Terms: acrylic painting, Adobe Illustrator, anime, calligraphy, character design, digital illustration, digital painting, Drawing, drawing for beginners, figure drawing, gouache, hand lettering and lettering, lettering, mixed media, oil painting, Procreate, sketching, watercolor, watercolor for beginners.
Areas of Opportunity:
- Procreate continues to trend high in search, though more intermediate- and advanced-level classes are needed to complement beginner-level content.
Film & Video
Top Search Terms: Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Capcut, cinematography, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, motion graphics, shortform content, VFX, video editing, videography, YouTube.
Areas of Opportunity:
- Advanced classes on lighting in cinematography would be an asset.
- More advanced classes that offer skills, tips, and techniques for YouTube, particularly around working more efficiently or managing a larger community, and making the most out of the platform's style and voice.
Photography
Top Search Terms: food photography, iPhone photography, Lightroom, photo editing, portraits, product photography.
Areas of Opportunity: Beginner photography also has shown an increase in demand.
- iPhone photography continues to be a popular topic, but there is more demand for new or updated classes focused on the latest software and apps.
AI & Innovation
Top Search Terms: Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Midjourney.
Animation & 3D
Top Search Terms: 2D animation, Adobe Animate, AutoCAD, Blender, Cinema 4D, Krita, Maya, Spline, Unreal Engine, Zbrush.
Areas of Opportunity:
- Blender continues to trend high across search! Seeking Blender classes at all levels, particularly advanced-level classes.
- More advanced-level Cinema 4D classes would be a complement to our existing catalog.
- There is increasing demand for the digital sculpting tool ZBrush.
- The popular 3D computer graphics Unreal Engine has also been showing increasing demand.
Music & Audio
Top Search Terms: Ableton, FL Studio, guitar, music production, music theory, piano, singing.
Areas of Opportunity:
- Intermediate and advanced-level classes in any of the following topics: guitar, piano, singing, and music theory.
Productivity
Top Search Terms: Airtable, bullet journal, journaling, Notion, Obsidian, project management, time management.
Writing & Publishing
Top Search Terms: blogging, content writing, copywriting, creative writing, storytelling.
Marketing & Business
Top Search Terms: branding, digital marketing, Google ads, Instagram marketing, Microsoft Excel, SEO, social media marketing.
Development
Top Search Terms: C, coding, Elementor, Framer, Javascript, Python, web development, Wordpress.
Crafts & DIY
Top Search Terms: crochet, embroidery, fashion, fashion design, knitting, sewing, woodworking.
Areas of Opportunity:
- Classes teaching specific and more advanced techniques in sewing, such as smocking and darts, are an ongoing need. In addition, classes on the following topics would be welcomed: following patterns and pattern design; tailoring; and alterations.
- More classes in knitting and crochet at intermediate- and advanced-levels would be a great complement to our existing content.
Home & Lifestyle
Top Search Terms: baking, cooking, dance, interior design, mindfulness, organization, yoga.
Personal Development
Top Search Terms: journaling, meditation.
Calls for Content
Building on the data we share about in-demand topics, we’re starting to put out some calls for content to fill specific needs at Skillshare based on learner demand or upcoming campaigns. Read up on what we’re sourcing for now and see if there’s a fit with what you offer as a teacher!